Belleville Sens Now: Hatty for Halty
After a three-in-three weekend, the Belleville Senators returned home to CIBC Place to play two games, one against the Hartford Wolf Pack and the other against their rivals, the Toronto Marlies.
The weekend of hockey brought new challenges for the B-Sens, with two of their top playmakers getting called up, but it also brought new opportunities for some players on the B-Sens roster to showcase themselves.
In this week's edition of Belleville Sens Now, we look at how the Belleville Senators fared without two of their top playmakers, Phil Tomasino and Xavier Bourgault, a standout weekend for Kasper Halttunen, and the continued development of Blake Montgomery.
Quick results
Friday, October 30, 2026: Hartford Wolf Pack - 4 vs. Belleville Senators - 1
Kasper Halttunen scored the lone goal for the B-Sens.
Anton Blidh had two goals for the Wolf Pack, including an empty-netter, in their victory.
Jackson Parsons made 32 saves on 34 shots.
Sunday, November 1, 2026: Toronto Marlies - 1 vs. Belleville Senators - 4
Kasper Halttunen scored his second hat trick of the season, with all three goals coming on the power play.
Former Belleville Senators captain Logan Shaw, now the captain of the Toronto Marlies, played in his 600th career AHL game.
Jackson Parsons made 14 saves on 15 shots.
No Tomasino, No Bourgault
Coming off their three-in-three road trip, the Belleville Senators looked to boost their offensive production following a disappointing performance in which they were shut out by the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
But, as is often the case in the AHL, plans change when injuries hit the big club and the NHL team needs reinforcements.
With the Ottawa Senators continuing to face injuries, the team called up Phil Tomasino and Xavier Bourgault before Belleville's game on Friday.
Tomasino scored four goals and tallied seven assists in 10 games before getting the call to Ottawa.
Meanwhile, Bourgault scored three goals and had six assists, also in 10 games played before the call-up.
With two of Belleville's top point-getters out of the lineup, the team had a rough go against the Hartford Wolf Pack, managing just one goal, scored by Kasper Halttunen.
The Wolf Pack took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission, with both goals coming on the power play.
The team allowed two empty-net goals and lost 4-1.
Head Coach Andrew Campbell says his team has to be more disciplined.
"Well, we got into penalty trouble in the first. Think back to the start of the game. First shift, we make a soft play in the middle. They get a shot, flip the breakout off the faceoff, don't get out, and then we take a double minor. They score, and then we took two other penalties in the period," Campbell told the media following Friday's game.
"So, yeah, when you're playing short-handed, it's tough to get off to a good start. So clearly, discipline's got to be better there."
Kasper Halttunen echoed the sentiment, scoring Belleville's lone goal in Friday's matchup.
He says the team needed to start off better.
"I think we had a slow start today, and I think we just gotta be better right off the hop and, you know, play a full 60," Halttunen said on Friday.
After a day off, the B-Sens got off to a much better start in Sunday's matchup against the Toronto Marlies.
Belleville jumped out to a 2-0 lead with two goals just 16 seconds apart.
The B-Sens also limited the defending Calder Cup champions to just two shots during the period.
The team didn't look back, earning a 4-1 victory.
Three of Belleville's four goals came on the power play, all from Kasper Halttunen (more on him in a moment).
Campbell praised the team's response to a tough Friday loss.
"You never know how the guys are going to walk into the rink on Saturday morning. We had a good video session and a shorter practice, but the guys were really dialed in out there, which was a great sign," Campbell said on Sunday.
"Coming back to the rink today, we played Toronto twice two weeks ago, so there's no real secrets between the two teams, but you know, the guys bought into what we were asking them to do, and obviously got a good result out of it."
Campbell was asked about adapting without Tomasino and Bourgault in the lineup.
"It's an opportunity for guys to assume bigger roles," Campbell said.
"So, would we like Tomasino and (Bourgault) and (Jorian) Donovan, (Hoyt) Stanley and on and on in our lives? Sure, we would. But the guys who are in there playing are playing well and really stepping up for us."
Kasper Halttunen shines
Kasper Halttunen's goal-scoring ability was on full display over the weekend.
Before the weekend's games, however, Halttunen felt he needed to improve his play.
"I've had a couple of games where I haven't played that well. I kind of had a good week of practice here, and yeah, I think it all comes from practice," Halttunen said on Friday.
"If you practice hard, you got to play better. So yeah, just trying to practice hard this week; obviously, some tough schedules the last couple of weeks. But yeah, this week was good, and just trying to get going."
Get going, he did.
Halttunen scored the lone goal for Belleville in Friday's matchup against the Hartford Wolf Pack.
He followed up with a hat trick against the Toronto Marlies, with all three of those goals coming on the power play.
Head Coach Andrew Campbell says he continues to see Halttunen's game improve.
"He's getting a lot of opportunity, but he's an evolving player. He's working hard. He's getting better. He's on the ice before practice, shooting pucks. He's on the ice after shooting pucks. He's one of the guys you gotta be like, 'Halty, it's time to get off. You've probably done enough work for the day,'" Campbell said on Sunday.
"So he has a hunger to get better. He's really coachable. He's got a bright future, and he's got that one thing that everyone wants: goal-scoring ability. So, yeah, he's a good player to have around here for us."
Blake Montgomery played with Halttunen when they went to the Memorial Cup as members of the London Knights.
He recalled a story of just how hard Halttunen's shot is.
"I remember back in London, one practice he broke my shin pad with a shot. So he can shoot the puck, and he loves to score goals. So I'm glad to see him have success coming his way," Montgomery told media on Sunday.
Halttunen was asked whether he felt he needed to step up and help replace the offensive production lost with the call-ups of Philip Tomasino and Xavier Bourgault.
"I think for me, like, I don't try to change anything; just keep doing my thing and maybe get more opportunities now that they're up there, I mean, just, enjoying all the ice time and trying to make the most of it," Halttunen explained following the Marlies game.
With nearly a month in Belleville under his belt, Halttunen was asked how he was meshing with the team.
"We're gonna have a little Halloween thing tonight, and just the team bonding, I think it's really important if you want to be good, and it's a huge part of winning," Halttunen said.
"So, yeah, just trying to hang out with the guys and make that connection. Show you want to die for them out there and do whatever it takes to win for all the guys in the room. So I think you know it gets better every day. But yeah, it's a great group of guys."
Halttunen's Halloween costume, by the way, was Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw from Top Gun. He even grew out his moustache to complete the look.
Blake Montgomery gets his first goal of the season
Blake Montgomery scored his first goal of the season just 16 seconds after his London Knights teammate Kasper Halttunen opened the scoring.
Montgomery played his first series of home games this season after making his debut during the three-in-three road trip through Pennsylvania.
He had been battling an injury that carried over from the Senators rookie camp.
Montgomery was asked what the team was looking for from him this season.
"Just consistency, because obviously I can have a big impact on the game, but I need to bring it every shift and every play," Montgomery told media on Sunday.
"So just bringing what I can do with my capabilities every night and every shift, and just moving forward."
Halttunen spoke about Montgomery's skating ability, saying he was the "fastest skater he's ever seen."
"When he wants to skate hard, he can fly," Halttunen said.
"Seeing that every day, how he tries to learn the pro habits and all that, and he's doing a really good job. I think he's got a really bright future."
Montgomery also spoke highly of Halttunen, saying he had the hardest shot he'd ever seen.
Head Coach Andrew Campbell was not surprised that the two really put over each other's games.
"Well, (Montgomery) and (Halttunen) are roommates, so of course they're giving each other compliments like that," Campbell joked.
Campbell spoke highly of Montgomery's game on Sunday.
"(He's) an effective player. When he's moving his feet, he's really good. Great goal he scored there tonight. He has a long stick. He has the ability to check. He has the ability to put a lot of pressure on opposing D-men and opposing players," Campbell said of Montgomery.
"So another good player that, you know, we love having around here, who has a bright future as a Senator, whether it's here or in Ottawa."
Other news & notes
Tyler King was arrested at the Lansdowne border crossing on October 30, 2026. He faces multiple charges, including luring minors, sexual exploitation, and making child pornography. In a statement to Quinte News, the Belleville Senators said, “Tyler King is a part-time worker on game nights, and we have been made aware of the serious allegations around him. He will not be working with us while this investigation is ongoing, and we will provide any assistance required by the RCMP.” The allegations have not been proven in court.
Xavier Bourgault returns to the Belleville Senators following his stint in Ottawa, while Sammy Blais heads up to the big club. Blais had been dealing with an injury that kept him sidelined for the last couple of games.
Ottawa-born Kyle McDonald has signed a PTO with the Belleville Senators. He spent the past three seasons with the Texas Stars of the AHL.
The Belleville Senators debuted their new 10th-anniversary jerseys on Sunday, marking the anniversary of the team's first home opener. I saw some pushback to the design on social media. I don't think the look is too bad, but the numbers were a bit tough to make out on the broadcast.
A few injury-related absences to note: Hoyt Stanley, Jorian Donovan, and Landen Hookey did not play over the weekend.
The Belleville Senators remain at CIBC Place this weekend, which will also feature Hockey Fights Cancer activities. The B-Sens take on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Friday, then the Providence Bruins on Saturday. I won't be on the broadcast for either game, but I plan to attend Saturday's game.
Don't turn your back on the Wolfpack